"Twelve Delicious Dishes that Best Describes the Philippine Cuisine"

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Hello there again steemit friends!

Today marks my 9th day of stay in this wonderful community and I’m very thankful to all the people who welcomed and supported me throughout my stay here. I am also glad to all the people who followed me and enjoyed reading my posts.

To all my foreigner friends, I hope I would be able to publish more interesting topics to make you love my country and its diverse culture. As an appreciation for all your efforts and to help you know more about the Philippines, I’m gonna share with you a list of 12 delicious pinoy foods that best describes its cuisine.

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We pinoys are certified food lovers and in almost all occasions food is always present! In fiestas or festivals, varieties of foods are served and we pinoy just loved to try and eat anything that is edible. And in no particular order of tastiness, below are the most delicious foods that you must try when you plan to visit the Philippines.

1. Lechon Baboy
Lechon Baboy or roasted pig is the most common food in pinoy cuisine and is almost always present during any pinoy occasions, except of course for our Muslim brothers. Despite its expensiveness and difficulty to prepare, pinoy just loved to serve this food especially during fiestas and birthdays. There is no secret in preparing this except only that the whole pig should be roosted entirely. Everyone in the Philippines has its own style and recipe of cooking lechon but the most famous lechon in the Philippines is in Cebu.

2. Adobo
Adobo comes from the Spanish word adobar which means marinade. This is one of the most famous and one of the most common food in the country and is often present even during regular mealtimes. There are different recipes and different versions of adobo in the country and the meat used to prepare this also varies. But the most common and the most famous adobo is the chicken adobo. It is also easy to cook and easy to prepare. With this, you’ll need at least soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and onions simmered in marinade. You can also add other ingredients to come up with a better taste that can satisfy you.

3. Sisig
Sisig is a famous pinoy food made usually from pig's head and liver. However, there are also different versions all over the country which use tuna and chicken as a substitute to pork as main ingredient. Typically, the head of the pig is grilled first before it is cooked in a sizzling plate but then again as pinoys are fond of experimenting, sisig can also be prepared by directly frying the chopped pork. This famous food is frequently served as pulutan or the food partnered to alcoholic beverages.

4. Bulalo
Bulalo is one of the famous foods in the Philippines which is prepared by stewing beef shanks and bone marrows for hours until its collagen and fat produce savory broth or soup. Bulalo is also uniquely known for its bone marrow and is a perfect dish during rainy days. The origin of this delightful dish is not clear however it is popular in Batangas and you can find different versions of it there. You can also prepare this by replacing beef shanks with chopped pork legs. Vegetables are also added to improve its taste.

5. Tinola
Tinola is a popular pinoy dish in soup made out of either chicken, fish or pork. It is made by simmering meat of chicken, fish or pork in broth with salt. Usually the dish is sometimes added with slices of green papaya and leaves of chili pepper. Vegetables such as leaves of moringa are also added to contribute to its taste and as additional source of nutrient for kids. As this dish is a soup-based dish, it is best served during rainy season.

6. Sinigang*
Sinigang is made similarly like tinola but with just a little twist. Sinigang is known for its sour taste and its primary souring agent is tamarind. Just like tinola, this delightful dish is prepared by simmering. There are variations of this dish with respect to its primary ingredient and souring agent. The most common version of sinigang is pork sinigang however fish, chicken and shrimp can also be used as primary ingredient. Different souring agent such as kamias, santol, mango and guava can also be used but then again, tamarind is the first choice.

7. Dinuguan
Dinuguan is a famous pinoy dish which comes from the Filipino word “dugo” which means blood. The dish is prepared by simmering pig or cow’s lungs, liver, heart and intestines in vinegar and blood with ginger, onions, garlic and other spices. There are also different versions of dinuguan all over the country and varies mainly on the amount its stew. Most pinoys loved to partner this food with puto or steamed cake.

8. Bicol Express
Although most pinoys think that the dish originates from Bicol, the food was originally from Malate, Manila and it was named after the passenger train service from Manila to Bicol Region. Bicol express is prepared by cooking pork meat with coconut milk as primary ingredient, shrimp paste, garlic and lots of chili peppers and spices. This dish is known and famous for being too spicy and is believed to be inspired by the Bicolano's dish gulay na may lada or vegetables with lots of chili. Again, variations of this food differ mainly on the degree of spiciness. Chicken meat is also used as substitute to pork meat.

9. Kinilaw
Kinilaw is a popular pinoy food which literally means “eaten raw”, meaning it is cooked without the use of fire or heat. Kinilaw is prepared primarily by mixing fish meat with vinegar. You can also prepare kinilaw by using sea food meat other than fish, like shrimp and octopus. There are also versions where grilled pork meat is added to kinilaw and is called kilawin. Kinilaw and kilawin are usually eaten as appetizer and can sometimes be served as pulutan with alcoholic beverages.

10. Crispy Pata
Crispy pata is a delicious and popular pinoy food made by deep frying pig’s trotters or knuckles. The pig’s trotters or knuckles are boiled first in water with lots of seasonings to add flavor and mainly to soften its meat. It is then cooled down and deep fried until its skin is crispy. There are also versions where the bone is taken after boiling. This all-time favorite dish is best served with soy-vinegar sauce with chili and is often present in all occasions such as birthdays and parties.

11. Bistek
Bistek or Beefsteak is also one of the most delicious and one of the most famous dishes in the Philippines. It is the Philiippines’ version of beefsteak and it is also one of the easiest foods to cook. Bistek is prepared by slicing beef meat into flat or thin pieces. The sliced meats are then cooked by frying it with soy sauce, calamansi juice, onions and sometimes added with bread crumbs prior to frying.

12. Kaldereta
Kaldereta is a delicious pinoy dish where the meat of a goat is stewed. It is derived from the Spanish word caldera which means cauldron. This famous dish is often served during fiestas. The goat meat is stewed and is added with vegetables, liver paste and tomato sauce. Added vegetables may also vary depending on different provinces and on the recipe of the one who cooked. Other meat such as beef, chicken and pork can also be used to replace goat meat as primary ingredient.

Most pinoy foods are influenced by Spanish during their 300-year occupation of the Philippines. However, the people of the Philippines have become resourceful and have created their own different versions of these delicious dishes.

You may visit the references below for more information and history about the foods that I've listed. I hope that you enjoy reading my post. If you are hungry now and you want to try anything from the list then you may search for its recipe in google. Once again thank you for all the supports!

Reference
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lechon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_adobo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisig
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulalo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinola
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinigang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinuguan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicol_Express
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinilaw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crispy_pata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaldereta

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